Blog Archives

Fourth down has not been kind to Mississippi State’s defense. The Bulldogs (8-4, 4-4 SEC) have allowed opponents to convert on 11 of 15 fourth downs this season, or 73.3%. That ranks last in the SEC and 114th in the…

Over the past three games, all losses for Mississippi State, quarterback Tyler Russell has thrown just two touchdown passes. His backup, redshirt freshman Dak Prescott, has also thrown for two TDs during that span. During MSU’s 7-0 start, Russell had…

You don’t measure a punter’s worth simply by his average distance. If you did, then you’d probably not be too impressed with MSU’s Baker Swedenburg. The junior is averaging 40.8 yards per kick, which ranks 12th in the SEC and is…

Mississippi State has not had a great pass rush this season. Part of that’s because there haven’t been a ton of blitzes dialed up, and part of it’s because the defensive line hasn’t been able to generate much pressure on…

You might have noticed MSU’s offense becoming more proficient on third downs of late. The numbers verify what your eyeballs have been telling you: Over the last three games – at Kentucky, vs. Tennessee, vs. Middle Tennessee State – MSU…

Mississippi State hasn’t been the best third-down team, converting only 38.6 percent of the time. That’s tied for ninth in the SEC. But on fourth downs, the Bulldogs have been clutch. MSU has gone for it on fourth down 10…

In last week’s 27-14 win at Kentucky, MSU achieved the perfect offensive balance, numerically speaking. It ran 78 total plays, with an even run/pass split: 39 apiece. Coaches talk all the time about wanting to have a 50/50 balance with the…

Redshirt freshman middle linebacker Benardrick McKinney (6-foot-5, 235 pounds) has often been compared to former Bulldog linebacker K.J. Wright, and for good reason. Now he’s starting to play a bit like Wright. Over his last two games, McKinney has recorded 16 tackles, most…

Through four games, No. 21 Mississippi State (4-0, 1-0 SEC) is averaging 399.0 yards of offense. That ranks ninth in the SEC and 68th in the country. So, it’s respectable, but not great, and it seems a bit low when…

For Saturday’s GameDay section, I’ve written about the defensive line and how MSU hasn’t posted big sack or tackle-for-loss numbers. Today I want to look at sacks: MSU has four in three games. So what does that mean? Sacks are…

Mississippi State has run the ball effectively through two games, averaging 5.0 yards per carry with five touchdowns. But what really tells the story of MSU’s rushing efficacy is the numbers inside opposing teams’ 40-yard line. According to cfbstats.com (an…